Release Notes for Softerra Adaxes 2013.1

Overview

Softerra Adaxes is an end-to-end solution for comprehensive Active Directory management.
The software facilitates the work of Active Directory administrators by automating
their day-to-day activities and enabling them to manage multiple Active Directory
domains in one administrative environment.

The easy-to-use Web Interface allows any user with sufficient permissions to perform
a wide variety of directory-related tasks via a standard web browser. Regular users
can use the Web interface as a self-service portal to update their personal information
(telephone numbers, home address, etc.), manage their passwords and search the directory.
Help Desk technicians can employ the interface to perform basic administrative tasks,
such as resetting user passwords, unlocking, enabling or disabling user accounts.
Directory administrators or users with appropriate privileges can perform comprehensive
management, analysis, and monitoring of the Active Directory environment.

What's New?

Softerra Adaxes Adaxes 2013.1 comes with many long-awaited features for Exchange management
and automation, improves Web Interface usability and customization options, introduces support
for Microsoft Lync, Exchange 2013, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, and much more. Below are
the highlights of the new features and the most important enhancements since the previous
release.

Automation Enhancements

Exchange Management

Automated Mailbox Configuration
In the new version of Adaxes, you can automatically configure Exchange mailbox
settings. With the help of the new Modify Exchange properties action, you
can adjust various options of Exchange mailboxes, enable or disable mailbox
features, configure e-mail addresses, assign mailbox rights, etc.

Automated Mailbox Move
Whenever you need to move users' mailboxes automatically, you can use the new
Move the Exchange Mailbox action to perform the task.

Automated Mail-Enabling of Contacts and Groups
Starting from the new version, you can automate mail-enabling of contacts and
distribution lists.

Enabling and Disabling Users for Lync
Now, Adaxes allows you to automatically enable or disable users for Lync Server with the
help of the new Enable or disable for Lync action.

Account Locked Condition
Now, if your Business Rule, Scheduled Task or Custom Command needs to check whether an
account is locked out, you can use the new If account is/is not locked out condition.

Minute Interval for Scheduled Tasks
Starting from the new version, you can schedule a task to run every N minutes.

Custom Description for Run Script Action
Now Adaxes allows you to specify a custom description for the Run Script action to
make the purpose and the function of the script clearer to your users.

Exchange Management

Mailbox Management via Web Interface
Starting from the new version, Adaxes lets you manage Exchange mailboxes, distribution
lists, and mail-enabled contacts using the Active Directory Web Interface. To simplify and
streamline Exchange management, you can configure the Web Interface to show only the options
your users need to see. Also, you can create Home Page Actions to launch frequently used
Exchange management operations directly from the home page.

Moving Mailboxes via the Web Interface
Now, Adaxes allows you to move mailboxes between different mailbox databases or even
between different Exchange servers. To simplify moving of Exchange mailboxes, you can
predefine default options for the operation or even hide the unnecessary ones.

Delegating Exchange Tasks
Now, Adaxes allows you to granularly delegate permissions for Exchange operations. With the
help of Security Roles, you can delegate the minimum set of permissions without providing
unnecessary access.

Custom Commands and Scheduled Tasks for Mailbox Management
Now, you can create Custom Commands to perform complicated multi-step Exchange management
operations in a single click. Also, you can schedule Exchange management operations with
the help of Scheduled Tasks.

Monitoring Mailbox Moves
With the help of the Administration Console, you can always check whether a mailbox move
is complete.

Managing Exchange Mailboxes in Bulk
With Adaxes, you can configure multiple Exchange mailboxes with one operation.

Exchange 2013 Support
The list of Exchange Servers supported by Adaxes has been extended with Exchange 2013.

Web Interface Enhancements

Reset Password Customization
The new version allows you to customize the Reset Password operation for the Web Interface.
Now you can specify default account options, the password generation template, or even
disable or hide unnecessary options from the Reset Password page.

Single-Click Auto-Logon Configuration
Now, automatic logon to Adaxes Web Interface can be enabled with a single click of a button
in the Web Interface Customization tool.

Moving and Copying Home Page Actions between Groups
Now, you can easily copy, paste Home Page Actions and move them between groups.

Value References in Home Page URLs
Now, the Link to Specific URL Home Page Action supports value references in the link URL.

Administration Console Enhancements

Approval Request View

In the new version, the limitation of showing only 1000 Approval Requests has
been removed. The Approval Requests section now shows all the Approval Requests
that match the search filter.

Now, you can filter and group Approval Requests by a certain property, such as
Request Initiator or Operation Type, and by operation time.

Now you have the option to view all approvers authorized to approve a specific
Approval Request and resend them email notifications, if necessary.

The overall performance of the Approval Requests section has been improved.

Displaying Empty Properties
Now, Adaxes Administration Console can display empty attributes in the Result Pane. This
will allow you to quickly add a property to an Active Directory object.

PowerShell Script Editor Enhancements
The new version of Adaxes allows you to use Bookmarks to mark lines in the PowerShell
Script Editor. Also, the editor stores the outlining, undo/redo history as well as scroll
and cursor positions in PowerShell scripts.

New Navigation Bar
The new Navigation Bar introduced in this version features the Quick Search tool, a new
breadcrumb style navigation control and the possibility to view and navigate the history
of browsed objects.

Persistent Dialogs
Now Adaxes stores the position and size of all the panes, such as the Find Pane, Console
Tree, Basket, etc.

Key Features

Softerra Adaxes offers a wide variety of features essential to create a reliable
and secure environment for complete and automated user life-cycle management.
The key features of Softerra Adaxes include:

Active Directory Management. Softerra Adaxes provides a rich set
of features for Active Directory management that completely satisfies the needs
of directory administrators and regular users. The feature set includes:

User self-service of personal information and passwords

User account management

Management of Groups, Computers and Contacts

Batch modification of user accounts and other Active Directory objects

Directory Search. Softerra Adaxes provides a powerful search functionality
that enables users to find any Active Directory objects using the maximally flexible,
but simple to specify search criteria. The search can be performed either across
domains or in a specific domain location.
Apart from the Standard search that allows users to locate directory objects by
a wide variety of search parameters, Softerra Adaxes offers the Quick and Alphabetical
searches. Quick Search is useful when the user needs to quickly find an object by
its name or a part of the name. Alphabetical Search allows searching for objects
by the first letter of object names.

Rules-Based Automation. One of the most valuable features of Softerra
Adaxes is the ability to automate routine administrative tasks. Softerra Adaxes
allows users to create Business Rules that automatically perform necessary tasks
when certain conditions are met. Business Rules allow automatically changing the
group membership of an object, modifying object properties, managing user home directories,
moving objects to new locations, deleting objects, etc.

Streamlined Provisioning and Enterprise Standards Enforcement.
Softerra Adaxes provides means to avoid repetitive entering of the same information
and helps observing multiple enterprise standards when creating or modifying Active
Directory objects. With the help of Property Patterns, administrators can define
rules for automatic generation of property values and formatting constraints that
don't allow users to enter data that doesn't correspond to the corporate standards.

Approval-Based Workflow. Softerra Adaxes enables administrators
to define critical operations that are executed only after their execution is permitted
by a responsible person. If a user is trying to perform such an operation, the operation
is suspended and an e-mail notification is sent to all its approvers. No changes
are made in the directory until an approver allows the execution of the operation.

Dynamic Business Units. Softerra Adaxes allows users to collect
Active Directory objects spread over the Active Directory into virtual collections
called Business Units. Business Units are used to organize objects in an alternative
way to manage them collectively, overcoming the restrictions of domain or organizational
structures. Members of Business Units are defined by flexible membership rules that
allow you to include or exclude objects dynamically, adapting to changes in the Active
Directory. Business Units can include or exclude specific objects, group members,
container children or results of search queries.

Active Directory Reports. Softerra Adaxes provides an extensive
list of Active Directory reports that facilitate analysis and monitoring of the
Active Directory environment. Reports can be created either for objects located
in a specific Active Directory container or organizational unit, or for all objects
in one or several Active Directory domains. Information on objects displayed in
each report can be customized to represent data, detailed enough to perform effective
analysis.

Password Self-Service for Active Directory. Adaxes allows users
to reset forgotten passwords and unlock accounts without contacting the help desk,
and thus, eliminates the biggest source of help desk traffic. To prevent malicious
attacks to the self-password reset system, Adaxes provides a number of strong and
reliable security measures. To validate the user's identity, Adaxes uses Security
Questions & Answers, and/or Verification Code sent by SMS or Email.

Customization. Adaxes includes extensive customization capabilities
that allow aligning the software with unique business processes and requirements.
With the help of Custom Commands, complex and routine tasks specific to your work
environment can be performed at a single mouse click. The Web Interface can be configured
separately for Administrators, Help Desk operators, and Self-Service. For each role,
you can customize forms for object creation and modification, define which activities
users can perform, allow users to view only specific Active Directory objects, disable
certain features of the Web Interface, customize the Active Directory search and
browsing capabilities, etc.

Scheduled Tasks for Active Directory. It is often required to run
various Active Directory management tasks on a regular basis. With Adaxes you can
schedule a wide range of operations, such as:

sending password/account expiration notifications,

automated purge of inactive user and computer accounts,

automated synchronization of AD with external datastores,

automated management of group membership,

automated maintenance of the OU structure,

and much more...

Logging. By logging all operations performed via Softerra Adaxes
in a centralized fashion, the product allows administrators, auditors or any other
users to view, who performed what operations, when, on what objects, filter data
to view all operations performed from a specific host within a specific period of
time, etc.

Exchange Management. Softerra Adaxes enables administrators, help
desk, and other staff to manage recipients in several Microsoft Exchange servers
from a single web-based administrative console, and spares the need to switch between
several tools for Active Directory and Exchange management. The management of
Exchange mailboxes can become significantly faster, less error-prone and much simpler
due to the vast capabilities of Web Interface customization for Exchange tasks.
The extensive Exchange automation means supplied with Adaxes provide the ability to
automate the creation and management of mailboxes, distribution lists, and
mail-enabled recipients in Exchange. Supported Exchange versions: 2003, 2007, 2010,
and 2013.

Automated Provisioning for Lync. Softterra Adaxes provides the
possibility to enable and disable users for Lync automatically. For example, you can
enable new users in Lync as a part of the user provisioning process. On
deprovisioning, you can also disable users for Lync. Adaxes supports Microsoft Lync
2010 and 2013.

Active Directory Management with PowerShell. Adaxes is delivered
with a PowerShell module that includes a PowerShell provider and a set of cmdlets
for Active Directory management from the command line. The PowerShell module lets
users benefit from features like cross-domain management, automated provisioning,
approval-based workflow, enforcement of enterprise standards, etc. For example,
when an AD user is created using PowerShell, Adaxes can automatically add this user
to certain groups, provision this user with a home directory and Exchange mailbox,
ensure that the data specified for the user account corresponds to the established
organization standards, send e-mail notifications, etc.

SPML Support. Softerra Adaxes can be integrated in SPML-enabled
provisioning systems to exchange provisioning data via the SPML v.2 protocol. Softerra
Adaxes can act both as an SPML client (Requesting Authority in terms of SPML standard)
and an SPML provider (Provisioning Service Point). Adaxes SPML Provider transforms
SPML requests sent by other provisioning services into Active Directory operations
or data retrieval queries. As SPML client, Softerra Adaxes sends SPML requests for
operations performed in Active Directory to the registered SPML providers.

Installation Notes

Known Issues

Adaxes Service Does Not Start on Workstation

SYMPTOMS
The Adaxes service does not start on a workstation and the system event log contains
the following error messages:

The Softerra Adaxes Service failed to start due to the following error:The service did not start due to a logon failure.

The Softerra Adaxes Service was unable to log on as <USERNAME> with the currently
configured password due to the following error:Logon failure: the user has not been granted the requested logon type at this computer.

CAUSE
The Adaxes Service uses the account of the default service administrator to log
on to the system. During the service installation on a workstation (not on a domain
controller), the setup program grants the 'Log on as service' right to this account
locally on this workstation via the Local Policy settings. If there is a conflicting
domain-based Group Policy object that grants the 'Log on as service' right to other
users, the local right granted by the setup program will be removed during the Group
Policy refresh, because the domain-based Group Policy settings override the Local
Policy settings. If this happens, the Adaxes service will not start.

WORKAROUND
To work around this behavior, contact your domain administrator to grant the 'Log
on as service' right to the account of the default service administrator in a precedent
domain-based Group Policy.

STATUS
This behavior is by design. The Domain Group Policy overrides the Local Policy settings.